Loading-machine.



W. S. MAYERS.

LOADING MACHINE.

APPLlCATlON FILED OCT. 27. 1913.

1,155,598. Patented 001;. 5, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I. "w

W. S. MAYERS. LOADING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 27. 1913.

Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W. S. MAYERS. LOADING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 27. I913.

L155-,598.. Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

4, m Fig. 10 7 5 hweni'oz WILBUR S. MAYERS, OF FAIRMONT, WEST VIRGINIA.

LOADING-MACHINE.

Application filed October 27, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILBUR S. MAYERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fairmont, in the county of Marion and State of West Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Loading-Machines, of which'the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for loading loose materials such as coal, ore, earth and snow from piles on the ground into wagons, cars, conveyors and other receptacles and to excavate from their natural beds soft or loose materials such as earth, sand and gravel.

The loading machine consists essentially of two motor-driven endless chains carrying pivoted buckets or scoops, running upon sprocket wheels and guides, with the supporting frame adjustably mounted upon a roador trz k-truck. The function of the scoops is twofold, the first being to pick up the material from the ground in the manner of hand shoveling and the second being to convey it to a certain distance, screening it when desirable.

It is well known that the chief obstacle encountered in the design and construction the position of the scoops and guides at dif ferent points. Fig. 2 is a side view showing a convenient method of mounting and driving. Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the line AB of Fig. 1. Fig. .4: is a trans-- verse section through the lineCD of Fig. 1, the motor not being in section. Fig. 5 is the side view of a scoop. Figs. 6 and 7 are cross sections through the scoop on the lines EF and G H respectively. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section through the center-line of the carrier chains where the lifting links are attached. Fig. 9 is a plan and Fig. 951's a side view of one of the lifting links. Fig.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

Serial No. 797,524.

10 shows the end and Fig. 10 the side view of the trough terminal. Fig. 11 is a plan view of the shoe. Fig. 12 shows the cross section of the shoe through the line IK and Fig. 12* shows the section through the line N-O of Fig. 11. Fig. 13 is alongitudinal section through the line LM of Fig. 1. Fig. 14 is a longitudinal section through the joints of both chains where the carrierrods are located.

It is understood in this specification that the names of the various parts when given in plural and followed by a single character of reference will indicate that such parts are in pairs and exactly opposite one another on either side of the machine.

The main frame is carried by the roadtruck 1 or the track-truck 2, either of which may be self propelled. The frame swings in a vertical plane upon a. hollow shaft, hereafter described, within certain limits, and. including the motor 4: and its housing 5 it rests upon a suitable turn-table 6 so that it may be swung horizontally through the full circle Without moving the truck.

The pinion 7 on the motor shaft meshes into the gear 8 which is keyed to the shaft 9. On the opposite end of shaft 9 the sprocket wheel 10 is keyed and upon it runs the drivechain 11, passing over the driven sprocket wheel 12 which is keyed to the head-shaft 13. The head-shaft turns in the fixed bearings 14 and is tightly keyed to the head sprocket Wheels 15. The foot-shaft 16 turns in the adjustable take-up bearings 17 and carries the foot sprocket wheels 18. The head and foot-shaft bearings are preferably attached to the ends of the channel-bars 19 whose axis is the center-line between the two shafts.

The hollow shaft 20 is rigidly fixed in holes through the stiffening plates 21 and is revoluble in holes in the plate 22 and reinforcing rings 23, which are a part of the m0- tor housing. Bronze bushings 24 in the ends of the hollow shaft form the bearings for the shaft 9. By this arrangement the weight of the conveyer is not placed upon the shaft 9 which would cause excessive friction and wear.

The main frame is so mounted upon the hollow shaft that the receiving end is slightly heavier than the discharge end and this unbalanced weight, as well as that of the material which is loaded, is borne by the shoe 25. The shoe ispreferably made of cast steel and it rests upon the ground or floor while the machine is in operation. The curve of the top wearing faces of the shoe are so designed as to bring the scoops nearly to the horizontal position at their point of contact with the material in the pile. Upwardly projecting flanges 9 prevent skewing or side movements while the scoops are sliding upon the shoe. The pins 26 in the holes of the lugs I) pass through the eccentric holes in the bearings 27. These bearings are rotatably held in the channelbar supports 28 providing adjustment for the shoe with reference to the foot sprocket wheels.

Journaled into the channel-bar supports 29 is a shaft 30 having at one end the crank 31. Wire ropes or chains 32, winding upon this shaft, pass downward and are secured to the ends of the bar 33 which passes through the eye-lugs c. The weight upon the shoe, applied at the lugs b with the ground as a fulcrum, causes a downward pull upon the ropes 32 and the shaft 30 is held from rotating by the ratchet 34 and its pawl. By turning the crank the angle of the outer end of the shoe is adjusted above or below the horizontal line, thus changing the path of the scoops through a small angle either upward or downward as the case may require.

A windlass 35 attached to the motor housing winds the wire ropes 36 which are attached to the main frame, thus bringing it to a position approximately level when the ropes are wound up, so that the machine may be moved on its truck without interference.

The carrier-chains are preferably made with links having a pitch slightly greater than. half the length of a scoop, with two link lengths for each scoop as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These links may be made shorter if desired, maintaining the proper spacing for the points of attachment to the scoops.

The rollers 37 are flanged to prevent lateral motion. The pins of the two carrierchains at the heels of the scoops, (see Fig. 14) are formed by the carrying-rods 38 which pass through all the links and rollers at this point and through the elongated holes 39 in the scoops. The pins 40 (see Fig. 8) extend inwardly toward the scoops a short distance and revolubly attached to their ends are the lifting links 41 held on by nuts or cotterpins. The lifting links are offset as shown in Fig. 9 in order that the extensions on pins 40 may be short enough to avoid interference with the swinging scoops.

The scoops are preferablv constructed as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 of steel plate with reinforcements and wearing plates, or of malleable cast iron. The fixed studs v42 ex tend slidably through the slot in the liftinglinks and form the pins for the rollers 43. The collars 7c prevent lateral motion of the scoops upon the rod 38.

The bottom of the conveyer trough is formed by the plate 44, curved at the ends as is shown in Fig. 1, and the guides 5.3, or their supports, from the sides of the conveyer trough. The hook-bolts 47, easily accessible, clamp the conveyer-plate to its sup: ports. The trough terminal 48 atthe discharge end (see Fig. 10) is narrowedat its lower part and is held by the two brackets 49, which are loosely mounted upon the head-shaft. Similar brackets 50 are placed upon the foot-shaft for holding the lower end of the conveyer plate in position.

The operation of the loading machine may be best explained by reference to Fig. 1 wherein the wearing surfaces of the roller guides are shown by heavy lines. Starting with scoops S which at this point is supported by the rollers 37 and 43 upon their respective guides 51 and 52 the front end strikes the shoe 25 by which it is deflected upward. At the point S all the rollers have left their guides and the scoop slides along the shoe in a path approaching the horizontal. At S it has been forced into a horizontal position under the pile of material and the studs 42 are at the ends of the slots in the lifting links 41. These links now engage the studs and the scoop'is lifted in a radial path with its load. At S the material will have commenced to flow over the back part of the scoop, which at or near this point comes into contact with the curved end of the conveyer trough 44. From this point to S" the scoops are changing their functions from elevator buckets to scraperconveyer flights and at or near S they tip forward, due to gravity, so that the rollers 43 come into contact with the curved ends of the guides 53 and the chain rollers engage the guides 54. The guides 53 are so formed that the scoops take the position S without jerking, and the guides are extended to the position S to prevent the accidental premature tipping of the scoops. The sections of the guides 53, opposite the scoop position S and lying in the path of the carrying rods 38, are removed, the openings thus formed allowing the rods to pass through the guides. At the position S the scoop has partially discharged its contents which, however, are somewhat retarded in their flow downward by the back end of the scoop at 8. When the latter reaches the position S the contents of S will have been discharged into the receptacle below. At S the rollers 43, having traveled upon the curved ends of the guides 53 engage the overlapping curved ends Ofs guides 52. The scoop is at an approximate balance upon the rod 38 and its rollers at position 8". Upon advancing the back end drops so that the rod 38 is at the top of the elongated holes 39. This dropping is due to the resultant motion derived from the inwardly extending plate 44 and is assisted by gravity. This inwardly extending plate also prevents the spilling of the material into the scoops between the positions S and S and the plate clears the scoops at S. At S the scoops take the same position as at S thus completing the cycle. At S the back end of the scoops will, due to the reaction of the front end against the pile of material, be tilted up until the rod 38 is at the bottom of the holes 39, in which position it will remain until the position S or S is reached where the retardation caused by the material on the plate 44 will cause it to stop until the rod 38 has again changed its position in the holes 39.

The necessity for the elongation of the holes 39 is shown by reference to Fig. 1. Assuming a scoop to be in a position midway between S and S the shoe 25 will have forced it up so that the rod 38 will be in the bottom of the holes. When it has advanced to S in an approximately horizontal path it is apparent that the rod is at a greater distance from the shoe, and that this increase in distance will determine the amount of elongation in the holes 39, and that it will depend upon the curve and loca- "tion of the Wearing faces at in the shoe. The

elongation of the holes also makes it possible for the scoops to accommodate themselves to irregularities in the plate 44 without lifting the carrier-chains.

The major axis of the hole 39, (line E-F), is not normal to the line of the bottom of the scoop but inclines forward a certain amount in order to avoid the tendency of the back part. of the scoop to rise on ac- .count of the friction between it and the rod 38 while going from position S to S The shape and location of the guides 53 is fixed by the locus of the centers of the rollers 43 at their various predetermined positions and the shape and location of the upper surface of the trough-plate 44 is fixed in a like manner by the locus of the point or line 7, Figs. 5 and 6.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A loading machine comprising a tiltably mounted frame, two endless chains running upon suitable sprocket wheels, scoops having both sliding and swinging attachments to both chains, top guides for rollers on the scoops, said guides and their supports forming the sides of the conveyer trough, a plate forming the bottom of the conveyer trough, bottom guides for the rollers of the scoops, top and bottom guides for said chains, and a shoe for sustaining the unbalanced weight and for guiding the scoops under the pile of material at the receiving end of the machine.

2. A loading machine comprising a frame tiltably mounted upon a truck, two endless carrier chains running upon suitable sprocket wheels, scoops having both sliding and swinging attachments to the chain on either side, a trough for said scoops while they have the function of scraper-conveyer flights, top and bottom guides for said chains, independent top and bottom guides for rollers attached tosaid scoops, and a shoe adjustably mounted upon a horizontal fulcrum for the purposes set forth.

3. A loading machine comprising scoops each having both sliding and swinging attachments to endless carrier-chains, means for imparting an approximately horizontal travel to the scoops into the pile of material to be loaded, and means for lifting the scoops from their horizontal position in the pile and inverting them with their contents into a conveyer trough and conveying the material to and discharging it into suitable receptacles in the manner described.

4. A loading machine comprising a frame tiltably mounted upon a truck, two endless carrier chains mounted upon sprocket Wheels having horizontal axes, scoops having elongated holes and studs on their sides, rollers on the outer ends of said studs, lifting-links slidably and revolubly attached to the bases of the studs and revolubly attached to projecting pins in the carrier chains, carrier rods forming the pins of and connecting the two carrier chains at opposite joints and passing through the said elongated holes, top and bottom guides for the carrier chains, top and bottom guides for the scoop rollers, a shoe with guides for the scoops andadjustable in a vertical direction around a fulcrum upon which the unbalanced weight of the machine rests, a conveyer trough, and means for furnishing power and transmitting it to the carrier chains, substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a loading machine of the character described the combination of a frame tiltably mounted upon a turntable and carried by a power propelled truck, a pair of endless chains with means for driving and guiding them, a series of scoops with sliding and swinging attachments to said chains, guides for maintaining and changing the positions of the scoops, a shoe adapted to support the lower end of the frame and to guide the scoops, means for adjusting the position of said shoe, a conveyer trough having its terminals curved to conform to the path of the scoops and means for tilting the frame to an approximately horizontal position for the purpose described.

6. In a loading machine of the character described the combination of scoops having elongated holes and studs on their sides, rollers on the outer ends of the studs, liftingsubstantially as and for the purposes de links sltidably {115d resolubly attached Itlodthe scribed. bases 0 the stu s an revolubly attac e to projecting pins in the carrier-chains, carrier- WILBUR MAYERS' 5 rods forming the pins of and connecting the Witnesses:

two carrier-chains at opposite joints and C. W. MUNDEN, passing through the said elongated holes, A. D. BELL. 

